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Retail Directory

A few choice items are on display in this huge, bright store. Ugly clothes with fancy labels reign here, along with a few other neat odds and ends. Check out the linens, which are great for unique gifts. The furniture selection is good, but pricey. It is worth checking out if you have got time though. More >>

http://www.192books.com This Chelsea bookstore (used and new) takes its cues from the immediately surrounding art world. With ample open floor space and one totally bare wall, the store doubles as a gallery. This winter, Walker Evanas photos will be displayed. More >>

Designer Juliana Cho's collection, known as Annelore and sold from a cozy little shop in the West Village, is one of the great secret treasures awaiting the intrepid Manhattan woman who isn't afraid to buy clothes that no one else has. Alas, judging by all the ladies still sporting the Jimmy Choosawith-jeans look, that's a rare breed. For those chic enough to get it, Annelore can be relied upon season after season for excellent separates that will blend so seamlessly into your wardrobe you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. More >>

One of the most carefully curated houseware shops in the city, Auto avoids the flash and sizzle you might expect to encounter in the "new" Meatpacking District and serves up sensible good taste only. This is the kind of store you ought to visit when you're pressed for a great present; there really is something here for everyone. More >>

Yes, you will see famous people while you get tipsy waiting for a table. But you will forget about Drew, Wes, and random subjects of Born Rich when you start digging into polpettini (little veal meatballs), rigatoni with sausage and cauliflower, panzanella, and tagliata (sliced steak over arugula). A real Tuscan trattoria with ample sidewalk dining, and you do not have to be famous (or rich) to eat here. More >>

http://www.barnesandnoble.com With long hours and no rules against taking temporary possession of books in the store (check the aisles for readers), Barnes & Noble is the perfect place to kill time (and use the restroom) when you're waiting for an appointment or simply have nothing else better to do. Staff members may tell you that it takes 10 days to ship books-usually it takes three. More >>

http://www.beastyfeast.com For hungry pets ready to eat their owneras arm, Beasty Feast may have a more nutritional and less painful option, as the store carries everything from Friskies to Science Diet. Not that Beasty Feast is all foodathey also carry toys, pet carriers, and other essentials. Brave souls can pick up vitamins for their cats, if theyare willing to risk their fingers shoving the pill past a pair of incisors. More >>

Although no longer focused exclusively on biographies, this shop (novelist Jerome Charynas favorite) has its fair share of diaries, letters, and bios, in addition to general fiction and nonfiction. Hard covers are 20 percent off; new releases and classics are frequently on sale. More >>

http://www.christianlouboutin.com Well-heeled women who take that particular designation literally pick up
kicks (or stilettos) at Louboutin. With fire-engine red carpeting and
Lucite shelves, his new, hipper locale in the Meatpacking District
services a younger, moneyed crowd who need a good shoe fix between runs
to nearby Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, and La Perla. More >>

Claudine carries a selection of womenas clothes that has cornered that bold and quirky brand of girliness your older sisteras friends somehow oozed without seeming slutty or insane. Claudineas collection captures the whimsical, lovable, sexy city girl in a relaxed shopping environment. Designers are local and young, featuring a lot of handmade items. More >>

http://www.condomania.com With such a large variety of rubbers, you may feel overwhelmed at Condomania, but remember to take your time when deciding whether the Kimono Micro Thin or the Bareback will allow for superior cock sensitivity. Looking for more head room? Condomania recommends Maxx for you lucky, well-endowed fellows. (If you actually want to downsize, the Trojan Ultra-Fit is code for small.) For studs and ridges designed to make her squeal and squirm, go straight for the Trojan Pleasure Meshaunless you know she's daring enough to climb aboard Rough Rider. Not sure whether to test-run cola- or grape-flavored for that special safer-sex fellatio occasion? Just ask the prophylactic know-it-all behind the counter. More >>

http://www.constancabasto.com Like all things Brazilian (well, at least things Brazilian that make their way North) Constanca Basto's shoes are over-the-top and sexy. Skinny heels predominate, and most styles are embellished with all manner of rhinestones, sequins, chains, and what have you. The results are a lot more chic than you'd expect, though only dedicated girly-girls can take shoes like this seriously. More >>

http://www.cynthiarowley.com The ever-shrinking Cynthia Rowley is one of those rare designers who look like they actually wear their clothes; she's thin and girly enough to pull off her own cotton picnic dresses decorated with teacups and three-layer cakes. Indeed, everything in the Rowley empire seems fit for a rollicking garden party where rose punch and mint juleps are served, from her candy-colored slingbacks to strapless satin hostess dresses. More >>

http://www.darlingnyc.com When designer Ann French Emonts and her sister talked clothes as girls, "That's darling!" was their highest praise. So when a grown-up Emonts decided to open a clothing shop, choosing the name was easy. Darling debuted last summer; it's been charming the pants off of, and the new outfits onto, patrons ever since. And its offeringsadresses especially, designed primarily by local up-and-comersaare some of the darlingest around: affordable but never ordinary, and firmly aware of the glory in being girly. More >>